BYU's Tayvon Kitchen (men's) and Utah's Erin Vringer (women's) earned Big 12 Runners of the Week honors following strong performances at the John McNichols Invitational in Week 3. 

Kitchen helped lead the Cougars to a team victory in their first 8k race of the season, placing 3rd individually in a competitive field that featured 13 of the top 20 nationally ranked teams. He crossed the line at 23:23.1, behind reigning SEC Champion Kelvin Cheruiyot and Louisville's Elsingi Kipruto.  

Vringer placed 10th overall in the 6k with a time of 20:12.6. She closed out strong over the final 2000 meters, moving past nine runners to secure her fifth career top 10 finish. 

2026 Big 12 Runners of the Week – Sep. 23 

Men's Runner of the Week 

Tayvon Kitchen – BYU 

Women's Runner of the Week 

Erin Vringer - Utah